The Academy Is... singer William Beckett asked the same question all the bands on the “Sleeping With Giants” Tour asked: “How many of you have seen us before?”
In these days of tightening radio playlists and increasingly rare appearances by music videos on even cable TV, the question is an important one since it’s becoming the best way for new bands to build a bigger following.
And few bands out there deserve a bigger following more than The Academy Is...
The Chicago band’s “Santi” (Fueled by Ramen) album is one of the year’s best, an infectious combination of pop melodies and indie-rock anthems, driven by Beckett’s powerful, yet flexible, voice. But, more importantly, its live show is the kind of extravaganza that seems destined for arenas.
SETLIST: Same Blood / Attention / Slow Down / LAX to O’Hare / The Phrase That Pays / Sleeping With Giants (Lifetime) / Black Mamba / We’ve Got a Big Mess on Our Hands / Bulls in Brooklyn / Down and Out / Seed / Classifieds / Skeptics and True Believers / Everything We Had / Neighbors / Checkmarks // ENCORE: 40 Steps / Almost Here.
PHOTO: Fueled by Ramen.
Whether it’s the emo-tinged stop-start of older tracks like “Slow Down” and “Black Mamba” or new songs like the churning, glam-rock- fueled future hit “Neighbors” and the metallic, stomping “We’ve Got a Big Mess on Our Hands,” The Academy Is... makes it all work seamlessly.
Even the big power ballad “Everything We Had,” currently burrowing its way up the charts and onto MTV, kept the show’s momentum moving forward despite the obvious change of pace.
The Academy Is... should be huge by now and the fact that it isn’t is more a sign of the industry’s issues than the bands. Actually, all four of the bands on the “Sleeping With Giants” bill could easily be rock radio staples if most stations had the guts to play new music from new acts, instead of only new music from veteran acts or new acts who play music that sounds old.
Armor for Sleep should make big strides with its new “Smile For Them” (Sire) album, which hits stores on Tuesday. The first single “Williamsburg,” which sounded much more like Superchunk crossed with Foo Fighters than it does on the album, shows Armor for Sleep has made the leap to a major-label without losing any of its indie-rock spirit.
The Rocket Summer was also impressive, as singer Bryce Avary smashes together influences from Ben Folds to Soul Asylum to create something entirely different, as the recent “Do You Feel” album shows.
And the ever-charming Sherwood started the evening off with its rock-tinged pop from its excellent “A Different Light” (Fontana) album, especially the standout “For the Longest Time.”
The Academy Is... and friends show that all the talk about rock’s lack of new stars is either misguided or an outright lie. All these bands need is a chance and they can do the rest.